Lincoln Cent Key Dates & Varieties
The longest-running US design and the series that hooks most collectors. A handful of key dates and a few famous doubled dies are where the value, and the fun, live.
Bottom Line: A Wheat-cent date set (1909-1958) is one of the great beginner projects, most dates cost cents. The 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922 No-D, and the 1955 Doubled Die are the four that define the series.
The key dates
| Date | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| 1909-S VDB | The famous key, only 484,000 struck before the designer's initials were pulled. Full story. |
| 1914-D | A genuine low-mintage Denver key, heavily counterfeited, buy it graded. |
| 1909-S (no VDB) | First-year San Francisco issue; scarcer than its mintage suggests. |
| 1931-S | Depression-era low mintage; an affordable semi-key. |
| 1924-D, 1926-S | Better dates that get expensive in higher grades. |
The famous varieties
1955 Doubled Die Obverse
The most famous US error, dramatic doubling visible to the naked eye on the date and lettering. A five-figure coin in mint state, and the variety that made error collecting mainstream.
1922 "No D"
All 1922 cents were struck at Denver, but a worn die produced coins with no visible mintmark, a recognized, valuable variety (insist on the "strong reverse" die pairing).
1969-S & 1972 Doubled Dies
Later doubled-die cents that command strong premiums, proof the series keeps producing collectible varieties.
Browse Lincoln cents
See the Lincoln cents in our catalog with current graded listings across the major marketplaces.
View the Lincoln series →Storage & handling
Copper is the most reactive metal in the case. Keep cents in inert Saflips or Air-Tite capsules (never PVC), and a Dansco album is the classic way to chase the dates, red color is fragile, so store them dry. See our collector gear guide →
Keep reading
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1913-1938. James Earle Fraser design. Half a dozen famous key dates, two iconic die varieties (Three-Legged Buffalo, Two-Feathers), and one of the most beloved aesthetics in US coinage.
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Six key dates separate Morgans worth $30 from Morgans worth $150,000+. The 1893-S, 1895 Proof-only, 1889-CC, and the VAM varieties most collectors miss until it's too late.
14 min readVintage Guide1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny: The Most Famous Penny
484,000 minted. Pulled from production after 11 days over designer's initials. PCGS MS-65 RD trades $5,500, worth 8,000x its weight in gold. The penny that started a series.
10 min readCoins to explore
All coins →
1909-S Lincoln Cent VDB
1¢ · Classic · Victor D. Brenner
1914-D Lincoln Cent
1¢ · Classic · Victor D. Brenner
1955 Lincoln Cent Doubled Die Obverse
1¢ · Classic · Victor D. Brenner